14 September 2006

Surprise

I was in Target last night, looking for a water-purifier filter. We have one of those giant, multi-gallon Pur purifiers which sits in our fridge.

Anyway, I was walking down the main aisle when I heard a 'hey, I know that big guy over there!'

Next thing I knew, I was in a bear hug. Nothing like being hugged in Target by a stranger.

But he wasn't a stranger. . .I just had not seen him for three years. Ever since before my attempt to end my life. So we had a lot of catch up to do there in the aisle.

Turns out he works as the Loss Control supervisor there. Given that he is a former policeman, this is not surprising. While he was still a police officer and I was a probation officer, we often worked together.

We started an Explorer post for some of the older community boys. . .just the two of us. This guy went the extra mile in helping the community members in lots of ways. Not just being a law enforcer heavy hand. He was as committed to his wife and his kids as he was to his work.

We had lost touch and now here he was standing in Target. He now lives in the same town as me. You can bet that I will be meeting up with him for more catch up. And now I have a new baseball buddy to drag to the games.